tomswift2002
Well-Known Member
Richard Clayderman
The Carpenters Collection
Release: 1997
Label: An Original Delphine Recording Under Exclusive License to Chryslie Music (CM 97082)
Conceived and Orchestrated by: Olivier Toussaint
Produced by: Paul de Senneville & Olivier Toussaint
Tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 & 10 arranged by Marc Minier
Tracks 3, 7, 12, 14 arranged by Herve Roy
Tracks 4. 8, 11, 13 arranged y Gerard Salesses
CD Artwork Designed by: Didier Scohler for ArtCore
'The beauty and elegance of the songs interpreted by Karen & Richard Carpenter are splendidly suited to the softness and sensitivity of Richard Clayderman's piano. This Collection fully respects the essence of the original works while presenting them in a unique and original style: that of Richard Clayderman." - from the back of the CD cover
Review: I've been playing this CD a little bit lately, along with it's companion Clayderman CD Best of the Carpenters 3 since both CD's have tracks that are unique to each disc, but at the same time they also have some that are duplicates. However, I tend to play these Richard Clayderman CD's more than either Pianist-Arranger-Composer-Conductor or Richard Carpenter's Piano Songbook. I've said it before, but Clayderman's instrumentals sound bright and cheery, like they were recorded on a bright sunny day (although from what I see on Richard Clayderman's UK website, it looks like both albums are compilations that were compiled from other Clayderman albums where he had recorded the songs over the years and then all the Carpenters tracks were put on the two discs), whereas Richard Carpenters instrumentals on the same tracks sound down in the dumps and like they were recorded on a dreary, rainy day for elevator muzak.
According to Discogs, The Carpenters Collection was originally released in 1995 by Delphine Recording in France, and then it didn't get it's North American release until 1997 when Chryslie Music licensed it. And it was reissued as recently as 2012 after undergoing a DSD Remaster (it was also reissued on Fanfare Records in 2016 under the title Close To You, however it has the same track listing as The Carpenters Collection is is most likely sourced from the 2012 DSD Remaster). Also there are a few different CD covers from the different labels. I have the purple one with Clayderman in a white shirt and white suit coat with sheet music covering his left arm and hand (you can not see his hand) leaning on a white piano, and through the clear spine of the CD case, there are piano keys. The 1995 Delphine Recording issue from France is a blue cover with what looks like Clayderman's impression of John Denver.
On the back of the CD, there's some issues with the track listing for the 1997 Chryslie disc, as track 3 is listed as "(All Over The World)". Clearly that was meant to be part of Track 2 "There's A Kind of Hush". Then Track 7 is "Rainy Days and Mondays & (They Long To Be) Close To You". Fortunately on the back of the CD booklet, the track order has been corrected at "(All Over The World") is part of Track 2, and "Rainy Days" is now Track 6 and "Close To You" is now Track 7, and the tracks in between 2 and 6 all move up by one.
In terms of sound quality, for quite a while after I bought these CD's around 2002, I was wondering if these were more of those MIDI/Keyboard CD's that were popular in department stores back then---you know the ones that said they were by the "Dreamsound Orchestra" or 'The Filmscore Orchestra", etc. and were on labels such as Front Row Entertainment and Madacy. I was wondering about that, since besides using an acoustic piano, there's also an 80's/90's electric keyboard on these (the inside of the CD booklet is two blank pages, so I have no idea who, except for Richard Clayderman, is all playing on these tracks or what instruments are playing), and all the instruments sound like they were digitally recorded, mixed and then mastered, so there's no softness to the acoustic piano or acoustic drums or violins/strings that analog tape would've provided. So at times these tracks sound like they were done by some one using a keyboard to play each instrument and sound like those MIDI Orchestra CD's.
Now then, remember this album is from 1995 at the earliest, and the tracks themselves are from earlier. So, Clayderman doesn't include any songs that were not in release by the Carpenters prior to 1994 (the latest song released by the Carpenters on the CD is "There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World)" from 1976). So unlike Richard Carpenter's Piano Songbook which includes "The Rainbow Connection" from 2001, or Pianist-Arranger-Composer-Conductor from 1997 that includes "Prelude" & "Karen's Theme" from 1997 as it's latest recording (or from strictly Carpenters perspective, "I Need To Be In Love"/"Sandy" as full tracks from 1976, with a snippet of 1983's "Look To Your Dreams" in the Medley). I don't know if Richard Clayderman has released any further Carpenters themed album in the nearly 30 years since The Carpenters Collection was released, since if he has released any post-2001/2004, he might've included his takes on Karen's solo material or the various tracks that were released on compilations, like "Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again" and "If I Had You" or tracks from the As Time Goes By album. (I wonder how he would do with "Dizzy Fingers" or "The Rainbow Connection" or the "Close Encounters/Star Wars" )
Some of the standout tracks on The Carpenters Collection are: "There's A Kind Of Hush", "We've Only Just Begun", "Top of the World" (Clayderman does a countrified version of the song, more in line with Lynn Anderson's version, or the Carpenters original album take), "Please Mr. Postman" and the "A Special Medley: For All We Know/We've Only Just Begun (A Piano Solo Then Piano and Orchestra Version". Clayderman first plays one verse and chorus of both songs on the piano by himself, and then brings the orchestra in as he does both songs in full.
Overall, it is a very nice instrumental album with no vocals or backing vocals. And it's very upbeat and sounds more than elevator muzak.
The Carpenters Collection
Release: 1997
Label: An Original Delphine Recording Under Exclusive License to Chryslie Music (CM 97082)
Conceived and Orchestrated by: Olivier Toussaint
Produced by: Paul de Senneville & Olivier Toussaint
Tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 & 10 arranged by Marc Minier
Tracks 3, 7, 12, 14 arranged by Herve Roy
Tracks 4. 8, 11, 13 arranged y Gerard Salesses
CD Artwork Designed by: Didier Scohler for ArtCore
'The beauty and elegance of the songs interpreted by Karen & Richard Carpenter are splendidly suited to the softness and sensitivity of Richard Clayderman's piano. This Collection fully respects the essence of the original works while presenting them in a unique and original style: that of Richard Clayderman." - from the back of the CD cover
Review: I've been playing this CD a little bit lately, along with it's companion Clayderman CD Best of the Carpenters 3 since both CD's have tracks that are unique to each disc, but at the same time they also have some that are duplicates. However, I tend to play these Richard Clayderman CD's more than either Pianist-Arranger-Composer-Conductor or Richard Carpenter's Piano Songbook. I've said it before, but Clayderman's instrumentals sound bright and cheery, like they were recorded on a bright sunny day (although from what I see on Richard Clayderman's UK website, it looks like both albums are compilations that were compiled from other Clayderman albums where he had recorded the songs over the years and then all the Carpenters tracks were put on the two discs), whereas Richard Carpenters instrumentals on the same tracks sound down in the dumps and like they were recorded on a dreary, rainy day for elevator muzak.
According to Discogs, The Carpenters Collection was originally released in 1995 by Delphine Recording in France, and then it didn't get it's North American release until 1997 when Chryslie Music licensed it. And it was reissued as recently as 2012 after undergoing a DSD Remaster (it was also reissued on Fanfare Records in 2016 under the title Close To You, however it has the same track listing as The Carpenters Collection is is most likely sourced from the 2012 DSD Remaster). Also there are a few different CD covers from the different labels. I have the purple one with Clayderman in a white shirt and white suit coat with sheet music covering his left arm and hand (you can not see his hand) leaning on a white piano, and through the clear spine of the CD case, there are piano keys. The 1995 Delphine Recording issue from France is a blue cover with what looks like Clayderman's impression of John Denver.
On the back of the CD, there's some issues with the track listing for the 1997 Chryslie disc, as track 3 is listed as "(All Over The World)". Clearly that was meant to be part of Track 2 "There's A Kind of Hush". Then Track 7 is "Rainy Days and Mondays & (They Long To Be) Close To You". Fortunately on the back of the CD booklet, the track order has been corrected at "(All Over The World") is part of Track 2, and "Rainy Days" is now Track 6 and "Close To You" is now Track 7, and the tracks in between 2 and 6 all move up by one.
In terms of sound quality, for quite a while after I bought these CD's around 2002, I was wondering if these were more of those MIDI/Keyboard CD's that were popular in department stores back then---you know the ones that said they were by the "Dreamsound Orchestra" or 'The Filmscore Orchestra", etc. and were on labels such as Front Row Entertainment and Madacy. I was wondering about that, since besides using an acoustic piano, there's also an 80's/90's electric keyboard on these (the inside of the CD booklet is two blank pages, so I have no idea who, except for Richard Clayderman, is all playing on these tracks or what instruments are playing), and all the instruments sound like they were digitally recorded, mixed and then mastered, so there's no softness to the acoustic piano or acoustic drums or violins/strings that analog tape would've provided. So at times these tracks sound like they were done by some one using a keyboard to play each instrument and sound like those MIDI Orchestra CD's.
Now then, remember this album is from 1995 at the earliest, and the tracks themselves are from earlier. So, Clayderman doesn't include any songs that were not in release by the Carpenters prior to 1994 (the latest song released by the Carpenters on the CD is "There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World)" from 1976). So unlike Richard Carpenter's Piano Songbook which includes "The Rainbow Connection" from 2001, or Pianist-Arranger-Composer-Conductor from 1997 that includes "Prelude" & "Karen's Theme" from 1997 as it's latest recording (or from strictly Carpenters perspective, "I Need To Be In Love"/"Sandy" as full tracks from 1976, with a snippet of 1983's "Look To Your Dreams" in the Medley). I don't know if Richard Clayderman has released any further Carpenters themed album in the nearly 30 years since The Carpenters Collection was released, since if he has released any post-2001/2004, he might've included his takes on Karen's solo material or the various tracks that were released on compilations, like "Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again" and "If I Had You" or tracks from the As Time Goes By album. (I wonder how he would do with "Dizzy Fingers" or "The Rainbow Connection" or the "Close Encounters/Star Wars" )
Some of the standout tracks on The Carpenters Collection are: "There's A Kind Of Hush", "We've Only Just Begun", "Top of the World" (Clayderman does a countrified version of the song, more in line with Lynn Anderson's version, or the Carpenters original album take), "Please Mr. Postman" and the "A Special Medley: For All We Know/We've Only Just Begun (A Piano Solo Then Piano and Orchestra Version". Clayderman first plays one verse and chorus of both songs on the piano by himself, and then brings the orchestra in as he does both songs in full.
Overall, it is a very nice instrumental album with no vocals or backing vocals. And it's very upbeat and sounds more than elevator muzak.
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